Antony and Cleopatra (21 page)

DOLABELLA
    Cleopatra!

CLEOPATRA
    Think you there was or might be such a man
        As this I dreamt of?

DOLABELLA
    Gentle madam, no.

CLEOPATRA
    You lie up to the hearing of the gods!
        But if there be nor ever were one such,
        It’s past the
size
¹¹⁷
of dreaming. Nature
wants stuff
        To vie strange forms with fancy
:
yet t’imagine
        An Antony were nature’s piece gainst fancy,
        Condemning shadows quite
¹¹⁸
.

DOLABELLA
    Hear me, good madam:
        Your loss is as yourself, great, and you bear it
        
As answering to the weight
¹²³
.
Would I might never
        O’ertake pursued success: but I do feel,
        By the rebound of yours, a grief that smites
        My very heart at root
.

CLEOPATRA
    I thank you, sir.
        Know you what Caesar means to do with me?

DOLABELLA
    I am
loath
¹²⁹
to tell you what I
would
you knew.

CLEOPATRA
    Nay, pray you, sir.

DOLABELLA
    Though he be honourable—

CLEOPATRA
    He’ll lead me, then, in triumph.

DOLABELLA
    Madam, he will, I know’t.

Flourish. Enter Proculeius, Caesar, Gallus, Maecenas and others of his train

ALL
    Make way there! Caesar!

CAESAR
    Which is the Queen of Egypt?

DOLABELLA
    It is the emperor, madam.
Cleopatra kneels

CAESAR
    Arise, you shall not kneel:
        I pray you rise. Rise, Egypt.

CLEOPATRA
    Sir, the gods
        Will have it thus. My master and my lord
        I must obey.
She stands

CAESAR
    
Take to you no hard thoughts
¹⁴²
.
        The record of what injuries you did us,
        Though
written in our flesh
¹⁴⁴
, we shall remember
        As things but done by chance.

CLEOPATRA
    Sole
sir
¹⁴⁶
o’th’world,
        I cannot
project
¹⁴⁷
mine own cause so well
        To make it clear, but do confess I have
        Been laden with
like frailties
¹⁴⁹
which before
        Have often shamed our sex.

CAESAR
    Cleopatra, know,
        We will
extenuate rather than enforce
¹⁵²
:
        If you
apply yourself to our intents
¹⁵³
,
        Which towards you are most gentle, you shall find
        A benefit in this change: but if you seek
        To
lay on me a cruelty
¹⁵⁶
by taking
        Antony’s course, you shall
bereave
¹⁵⁷
yourself
        Of my good purposes, and put your children
        To that destruction which I’ll guard them from
        If thereon you rely. I’ll take my leave.

CLEOPATRA
    And may through all the world: ’tis yours, and we,
        Your
scutcheons
¹⁶²
and your
signs
of conquest, shall
        Hang in what place you please. Here, my good lord.

Gives him a paper

CAESAR
    You shall advise me in all
for
¹⁶⁴
Cleopatra.

CLEOPATRA
    This is the
brief
¹⁶⁵
of money, plate, and jewels
        I am possessed of. ’Tis exactly valued,
        
Not petty things admitted
¹⁶⁷
.—Where’s Seleucus?

[
Enter Seleucus
]

SELEUCUS
    Here, madam.

CLEOPATRA
    This is my treasurer. Let him speak, my lord,
        Upon his peril, that I have reserved
        To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus.

SELEUCUS
    Madam,
        I had rather seal my lips than to my peril
        Speak that which is not.

CLEOPATRA
    What have I kept back?

SELEUCUS
    Enough to purchase what you have made known.

CAESAR
    Nay, blush not, Cleopatra: I approve
        Your wisdom in the deed.

Seleucus backs away

CLEOPATRA
    See, Caesar! O, behold,
        How
pomp is followed
¹⁸⁰
!
Mine
will now be yours
        And should we
shift estates
¹⁸¹
, yours would be mine.
        The ingratitude of this Seleucus does
        Even make me wild.—O slave, of no more trust
        Than love that’s
hired
¹⁸⁴
! What, go’st thou back?
        Thou shalt
        Go back, I warrant thee: but I’ll catch thine eyes
        
Though
¹⁸⁶
they had wings. Slave, soulless villain, dog!
        O
rarely
¹⁸⁷
base!

CAESAR
    Good queen, let us entreat you.

CLEOPATRA
    O Caesar, what a wounding shame is this,
        That thou,
vouchsafing
¹⁹⁰
here to visit me,
        Doing the honour of thy lordliness
        To one so meek, that mine own servant should
        
Parcel
¹⁹³
the sum of my disgraces by
        Addition of his envy. Say, good Caesar,
        That I some
lady
¹⁹⁵
trifles have reserved,
        
Immoment toys
¹⁹⁶
, things of such dignity
        As we greet
modern
¹⁹⁷
friends
withal
, and say
        Some nobler token I have kept apart
        For
Livia
¹⁹⁹
and Octavia, to induce
        Their mediation: must I be
unfolded
        With
²⁰⁰
one that I have
bred
²⁰¹
? The gods! It smites me
        Beneath the fall I have.—Prithee go hence,
To Seleucus

    Or I shall show the
cinders
²⁰³
of my spirits
        Through th’ashes of my
chance
²⁰⁴
. Wert thou a man,
        Thou wouldst have mercy on me.

CAESAR
    
Forbear
²⁰⁶
, Seleucus.
[
Exit Seleucus
]

CLEOPATRA
    Be it known that we, the greatest, are
misthought
²⁰⁷
        For things that others do, and when we fall,
        We answer others’
merits
²⁰⁹
in our name,
        Are therefore to be pitied.

CAESAR
    Cleopatra,
        Not what you have reserved, nor what acknowledged
        Put we
i’th’roll of conquest
²¹³
. Still be’t yours,
        
Bestow
²¹⁴
it at your pleasure, and believe
        Caesar’s no merchant to
make prize
²¹⁵
with you
        Of things that merchants sold. Therefore be cheered:
        
Make not your thoughts your prisons
²¹⁷
. No, dear queen,
        For we intend so to
dispose
²¹⁸
you as
        Yourself shall give us counsel. Feed, and sleep:
        Our care and pity is so much upon you
        That we remain your friend, and so, adieu.

CLEOPATRA
    My master, and my lord!

CAESAR
    Not so. Adieu.

Flourish. Exeunt Caesar and his Train

CLEOPATRA
    He
words me
²²⁴
, girls, he words me,
that I should
         not Be noble to myself
.—But, hark thee, Charmian.

Whispers to Charmian

IRAS
    Finish, good lady, the bright day is done
        And we are for the dark.

CLEOPATRA
    
Hie thee again
²²⁸
.
        I have
spoke
²²⁹
already and it is provided.
        Go
put it to the haste
²³⁰
.

CHARMIAN
    Madam, I will.

Enter Dolabella

DOLABELLA
    Where’s the queen?

CHARMIAN
    Behold, sir.
[
Exit
]

CLEOPATRA
    Dolabella!

DOLABELLA
    Madam, as thereto sworn by your command —
        Which my love makes religion to obey —
        I tell you this: Caesar through Syria
        Intends his journey, and within three days
        You with your children will he send
before
²³⁹
.
        Make your best use of this. I have performed
        Your pleasure and my promise.

CLEOPATRA
    Dolabella,
        I shall remain your debtor.

DOLABELLA
    I your servant.
        Adieu, good queen, I must attend on Caesar.
Exit

CLEOPATRA
    Farewell, and thanks.—Now, Iras, what
        think’st thou?
        Thou an Egyptian
puppet
²⁴⁷
shalt be shown
        In Rome, as well as I.
Mechanic slaves
²⁴⁸
        With greasy aprons,
rules
²⁴⁹
and hammers shall
        Uplift us to the view. In their
thick
²⁵⁰
breaths,
        
Rank of
²⁵¹
gross diet, shall we be enclouded,
        And forced to
drink
²⁵²
their vapour.

IRAS
    The gods forbid!

CLEOPATRA
    Nay, ’tis most certain, Iras.
Saucy
²⁵⁴
lictors
        Will catch at us like
strumpets
²⁵⁵
, and
scald
rhymers
        
Ballad us
²⁵⁶
out o’tune. The
quick
comedians
        
Extemporally
²⁵⁷
will stage us and present
        Our Alexandrian revels: Antony
        Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see
        
Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness
²⁶⁰
        I’th’posture of a whore.

IRAS
    O the good gods!

CLEOPATRA
    Nay, that’s certain.

IRAS
    I’ll never see’t, for I am sure my nails
        Are stronger than mine eyes.

CLEOPATRA
    Why, that’s the way
        To fool their preparation and to conquer
        Their most absurd intents.—

Enter Charmian

                Now, Charmian!
        
Show me
²⁶⁹
, my women, like a queen: go fetch
        My best
attires
²⁷⁰
. I am again for
Cydnus
        To meet Mark Antony.—
Sirrah
²⁷¹
Iras, go.—
        Now, noble Charmian, we’ll
dispatch
²⁷²
indeed,
        And when thou hast done this
chare
²⁷³
, I’ll give thee leave
        To play till doomsday. Bring our crown and all.

[
Exit Iras
]

A noise within

    Wherefore’s this noise?

Enter a Guardsman

GUARDSMAN
    Here is a rural fellow
        That will not be denied your highness’ presence.
        He brings you figs.

CLEOPATRA
    Let him come in.—
Exit Guardsman
        What
poor an
²⁸⁰
instrument
        May do a noble deed! He brings me liberty.
        My resolution’s
placed
²⁸²
, and I have nothing
        Of woman in me: now from head to foot
        I am
marble-constant
²⁸⁴
: now the
fleeting
moon
        No planet is of mine.

Enter Guardsman and
Clown
With a basket

GUARDSMAN
    This is the man.

CLEOPATRA
    
Avoid
²⁸⁷
, and leave him.—
Exit Guardsman
        Hast thou the pretty
worm
²⁸⁸
of Nilus there
        That kills and pains not?

CLOWN
    Truly, I have him: but I would not be the party that
        should desire you to touch him, for his biting is
immortal
²⁹¹
:
        those that do die of it do seldom or never recover.

CLEOPATRA
    Remember’st thou any that have died
on’t
²⁹³
?

CLOWN
    Very many, men and women too. I heard of one of
        them no longer than yesterday: a very
honest
²⁹⁵
woman, but
        something given to
lie
²⁹⁶
, as a woman should not
do
but in the
        way of honesty. How she
died
²⁹⁷
of the biting of it, what pain
        she felt: truly, she makes a very good report
o’th’worm
²⁹⁸
. But
        he that will believe all that they say, shall never be saved by
        half that they do. But this is most
falliable
³⁰⁰
, the worm’s an
        odd worm.

CLEOPATRA
    Get thee hence. Farewell.

CLOWN
    I wish you all joy of the worm.
Sets down his basket